Tim Grobaty: The winner of the best pastrami sandwich in Long Beach is...Katella Deli

THE BEST PASTRAMI SANDWICH: Who didn't see this one coming? The winner is a restaurant that traces its roots back to a Jewish couple, Sam and Shirley Ratman, from the old country in Eastern Europe. Holocaust survivors, then New Yorkers, they moved to L.A. and started a bakery in the city's Kosher Canyon with its CBS Television City, Canter's, Cedars-Sinai and more synagogues than 7-Elevens.

The family business eventually immigrated to Los Alamitos, and, since 1964, people have been coming to Katella Deli, on Katella Avenue at Lexington, for traditional Jewish baked goods, great pastries and, most importantly for our purposes today, the What's Hot! Best Pastrami Sandwich in (and around) Long Beach, as determined by our readers.

"Our pastrami is prepared the same way Dad did it when he came here from New York. It's 50, 60 years old," says Sam's son, Allan Ratman, who runs Katella Deli now with other family members.

"Our big seller is the New York, with pastrami, Thousand Island dressing, coleslaw and cheese on rye," he says. "But a lot of people have it the traditional way, with just mustard and a pickle on the side."

The reviews we received on the subject of Katella Deli's pastrami from reader/voters were among the most dazzling we've had in our array of best-food subjects over the years.

"I'm one of those East Coast people who has never found a decent bagel, pizza or hot dog in California, but I have found a great pastrami sandwich at the Katella Deli," writes Celeste Slade from her cozy home in Neptune, N.J.. "It's a bit of a hike from my home, but well worth the trip."

Former Bostonian Claire Parker slobbered at length about the glories of East Coast food before grudgingly admitting that, "In the 40-plus years I've resided in California, the ONLY local restaurant I've found that can make pastrami sandwiches comparable to the East Coast is Katella Deli."

South Bay resident Harold Rothman writes, "I've tried every pastrami sandwich in L.A. looking for that special taste of the New York version, and Katella Deli's is the freshest and most flavorful.

"One of the things they've mastered that is impossible for others to imitate is the freshness and home-baked taste of the rye bread. The pastrami is being cooked while the while the bread is baking there on the premises every day."

Probably the most one can expect from a pastrami sandwich is the ability to flip a vegetarian.

"And one of the few exceptions I will make is for a pastrami sandwich at the Katella. I don't know why, but there is something about it that brings back some magical moments as a young Jewish kid biting into the best sandwich you've ever eaten."